There's a lot of controversy around oats and gluten -- apparently, there is a risk of cross-contamination with wheat in many/most of the factories that produce oatmeal. If you have a serious gluten allergy, you may want to steer clear of oatmeal, or at least do some more research on the subject. Here's a good site: www.celiac.com

No, because of the cross-contamination issue Merrill mentioned. I use Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Rolled Oats when cooking for my father, who has celiac disease. There may be other brands (I haven't looked) but this one is well-tolerated by my father.

I've only ever seen Bob's Red Mill and Gifts of Nature selling gluten-free oats, so look carefully at any other brand for a note about gluten-free. Otherwise, the oats are likely grown on the same land and processed on the same equipment as regular oats, so they're open to cross-contamination. Oat flour is subject to the same problem.